California Governor Gavin Newsom and other state officials released new guidelines on Monday for in-store retail shopping and places of worship to reopen after weeks of being closed.

Existing guidance for retailers, previously allowed for counties approved to advance in the reopening process, now applies statewide. Retail can now open for in-store shopping statewide. The guidelines help reduce the risk for workers and customers. Retail does not include personal services such as hair salons, nail salons and barbershops.

The guidelines note that places of worship are not obligated to resume in-person activity and are strongly encouraged to continue holding remote services in order to protect the vulnerable members of their congregations, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

The guidelines for churches, mosques, and synagogues were broken down into sections about how to resume modified in-person services. Much like restaurants, it is set to vary based on the size of the building.

All reopened locations  must therefore limit attendance to 25 percent of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.

California health officials say staff members and congregants should also be screened for symptoms and have their temperatures checked before entering the building. People are strongly recommended to wear face masks.

The guidelines suggest that places of worship limit the time their congregations are in the building. State health officials say places of worship should consider having additional services available to reduce the number of people attending at one time or implementing a reservation system.

“Even with adherence to physical distancing, convening in a congregational setting of multiple different households to practice a personal faith carries a relatively higher risk for widespread transmission of the COVID-19 virus, and may result in increased rates of infection, hospitalization, and death, especially among more vulnerable populations,” read the guidelines.

In particular, activities such as singing and group recitation negate the risk-reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing, warned officials.

The order also calls for places of worship to stop offering self-service food and drinks and to refrain from holding potlucks or other gatherings that could encourage cross-contamination.

If food and drinks are served, the state asks that they are served in disposable containers when possible. Public water fountains should be turned off to deter people from using them, officials said.

The state says these places of worship should implement physical distancing of at least 6 feet between congregates and the staff with visible markings or possibly limiting seating to alternate rows.

Family members who live within the same household are allowed to sit next to one another. Health officials say children should remain with their families for the entirety of the service.

The new guidelines address communion and other similar practices, saying places of worship should try to modify the practices however possible, such as not sharing items such as cups or prayer books, or providing pre-packed communion items on pews).

For funerals and wakes, the health department recommended that institutions reduce visitor capacity and stagger visitation times if possible, remind visitors and staff to keep at least 6 feet apart and follow the state’s cleaning and disinfection measures. Institutions have to comply with local guidance on gathering sizes and funerals for those who have succumbed to COVID-19.

When washing or shrouding bodies of those who have died from COVID-19, religious institutions were asked to consider modifying religious or cultural practices to reduce exposure to the virus as much as possible. Those participating should wear disposable gloves and other protective equipment like face shields.

This limitation will be in effect for the first three weeks of a county public health department’s approval of religious services and cultural ceremony activities at places of worship within their jurisdictions.

After that time, the California Department of Public Health is set to assess the impact of reopening places of worship on public safety and evaluate further phases of reopening.

For the full text of the state guidelines on in-store retail shopping, click here.

For the full text of the new California reopening guidelines for places of worship, click here.

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